Divina Commedia, La

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | 700+ words | Copyright

Divina Commedia, La. The name commonly given to Dante's poem describing his vision of the three realms of the world to come, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. In his vision Dante travels for a week in 1300 from a dark forest on this side of the world down through Hell to Satan at the centre of the Earth and up the seven terraces of the mount of Purgatory, an island in the Antipodes opposite Jerusalem, to its summit, the Earthly Paradise, where Adam and Eve were created. So far Virgil has been his guide, but now he meets Beatrice, who conducts him through the nine planetary and stellar spheres to the Empyrean, where St Bernard of Clairvaux takes her place. St Bernard presents Dante to the BVM, at whose intercession the poet is granted a glimpse of the Beatific Vision. The date, purpose, and detailed interpretation of the poem are widely disputed.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Divina Commedia, La." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Divina Commedia, La." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-DivinaCommediaLa.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Divina Commedia, La." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-DivinaCommediaLa.html

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